Celebrity Business Analyst Comments on Product Placement in Movies

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CelebrityBusinessAnalyst.com released its opinion on product placement in movies following a WhatCulture! article that reported on Sony’s product placement in Skyfall, the most recent James Bond movie.

San Jose, CA (PRWEB)June 23, 2013

Celebrity Business Analyst announced its opinion today on product placement as a form of advertisement in movies. Commenting on the back of a June18 What Culture! piece on the use of Sony products in Skyfall, Sony’s own James Bond blockbuster, CelebrityBusinessAnalyst.com states that product placement is a good move financially, though it may not dramatically affect the outcome of the film.

Product placement has a bad reputation with a lot of fans of cinema. Some see it as gratuitous advertisement or name-dropping. However, Celebrity Business Analyst thinks that product placement can be a good way for production companies to save money. In Sony’s case, Skyfall was a $200 million endeavor. So when analyzing cash flow, saving money on certain aspects of the movie-making process was a must. The electronics giant was ridiculed for using its own products in the film—cell phones, laptops, and televisions, to name a few. “The thing to remember here is that Sony didn’t have to pay anyone for the use of their own products,” says Celebrity Business Analyst’s head writer. “This takes product placement from being a gratuitous ad to a smart financial decision. Then again, Sony probably won’t blatantly advertise for its competition by showing Bond using an iPhone.”

In addition to saving money, product placement can be a common sense thing. The products a character uses in a film can help the audience relate to him or her. For instance, a movie geared toward teenagers will probably use brands that are currently popular with that age group. A teen might be shown watching satellite television or movies in their room on an iPad, listening to music on an iPod, or drinking a Coca Cola, all brands to which teens can relate. “In the end,” Celebrity Business Analyst concludes, “the products a character uses doesn’t make much of a difference to the outcome of the movie.”

Celebrity Business Analyst’s opinion is that product placement can be a smart move financially. While some production companies do seem to use needlessly obvious logos and brand placement, the reality is that it helps the audience identify with the characters and the products they are using.

About Celebrity Business Analyst:
Celebrity Business Analyst is a website with an interest in the financial side of Hollywood. Discussion topics include how movies are made financially and how much movie stars make.